Becoming an Epidemiologist

By: Andrew Colucci, MD

Last Updated: Dec 14, 2018

Epidemiologists essentially function as detectives who research the causes and consequences of illness and disease on a population basis. Their research informs public health policies and disease management strategies throughout all countries around the world. By discerning how and why disease and illness occur, epidemiologists help to prevent their spread and recurrence.

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Epidemiologists study the relationship between medical conditions and the events that trigger their spread by collecting and analyzing data about public health and the behavior of various diseases. In addition to studying the origin and spread of contagious life-threatening diseases, they also analyze medical conditions that occur as a result of generalized exposure, such as foodborne illnesses. Epidemiologists can work within a variety of sub-specialty fields, including social, environmental, genetic, and psychological epidemiology.

For an epidemiologist, research into questions of great societal significance represents a typical day’s work. Although epidemiologists are not often in the public eye, they still receive immense personal satisfaction from solving the medical mysteries that plague the world.

Workplace Details

Over half of all epidemiologists work for government agencies at the local, state, and federal levels. These professionals can also work for private research facilities, pharmaceutical companies, hospitals and universities. Generalizing, epidemiologists often work in clean, well-lit offices and laboratories during regular business hours. Fieldwork or public health emergencies may occasionally require work on nights, weekends or holidays. However, in most cases, the work of an epidemiologist is considered low risk, with the exception of those some epidemiologists who work directly with dangerous chemicals or pathogens.

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The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that epidemiologists earn a median annual income of $70,820. Many epidemiologists will start with a salary at or around $46,870 (the median salary for the bottom 10% of wage earners), and can ultimately reach over $114,510 with experience. Those who work in the pharmaceutical and scientific research industries are compensated at the higher end of this range.

From 2014 to 2024, job growth for professional epidemiologists is expected to increase at a rate of 6%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This rate is approximately the same as the average for all occupations. As expected, those with advanced degrees will have a wider choice of career paths with more research and teaching positions available to them.

In order to become an epidemiologist, you must earn at least a master’s degree. The first step is getting your undergraduate degree, though. Make sure you receive a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.

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To work as an epidemiologist, most positions require at least a master’s degree from an accredited institution in the area of public health (e.g. - an M.P.H degree), ideally with an emphasis in epidemiology. Graduate education in public health will include coursework in biostatistics, behavioral studies, health services research and administration, immunology, and toxicology, among other items. Not all graduate schools require you to pass the GRE exam, but most do require it. You will find accredited graduate programs online as well.

Academic or higher level positions in clinical or research epidemiology almost always require a medical degree (M.D.) or other doctorate (PhD).

Post-graduate training occurs primarily on the job, and the duration depends upon both the position’s requirements/duties and the epidemiologist’s previous experience.

As a first step towards career advancement as an epidemiologist, many will continue their education to obtain an advanced degree (such as a MD or PhD). This enables epidemiologists to work in larger facilities and to take on positions with greater responsibility and a higher level of pay.

A medical degree in particular will qualify an epidemiologist to administer drugs during clinical research studies and trials - these positions tend to be the highest paying and thus competition for them can be extreme. Specialization, ongoing fieldwork, and years of experience qualify epidemiologists to manage others with lesser qualifications or fewer years of experience.

All epidemiologist career pathways begin with earning a bachelor’s degree. Most students do this with the intention of continuing on to graduate school. However, some entry-level epidemiology positions accept bachelor’s trained candidates, especially if they have related work experience. (For example, a research position might accept a Bachelor of Public Health with extensive data analysis experience in the social sciences.)

The most common major for aspiring epidemiologists is public health. However, any field related to healthcare or statistical analysis can be good preparation. Other useful majors include nursing, allied health, math, and biological sciences. Because most epidemiologists eventually go on to grad school, it’s important to earn your bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited university.

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Some useful bachelor’s level courses for aspiring epidemiologists:

Bachelor’s-level students may also complete a service learning experience, an internship, or an original research project.

Most entry-level epidemiologist positions require a Master of Public Health (MPH) or Master of Science (MS) with an epidemiology focus. Having a master’s is particularly important for job candidates who don’t have work experience in a related field like medicine, nursing, or public health.

MPH and MS programs are typically found at 4-year universities. Some are generalist in nature while others offer specialty tracks such as cancer, geriatric, trauma, and genetic epidemiology.

Epidemiology master’s programs typically last about two years. Year one is mainly spent in the classroom while year 2 combines coursework, research, and project work.

Some common epidemiology courses at the master’s level:

A few universities offer accelerated master’s programs for healthcare professionals seeking a second degree. Combined bachelor’s-master’s programs are also available.

It’s also common to combine an MPH in epidemiology with a professional degree like medicine or nursing. This is excellent preparation for candidates who aspire to practice epidemiology clinically (for example, as a quality or infection control professional).

Doctors of Philosophy in epidemiology typically work for universities as professors and researchers. Top agencies like the Centers for Disease Control also prefer to hire doctorate-level epidemiologists for leadership positions.

Most epidemiology PhD programs accept bachelor’s-trained candidates in theory. However, because admissions are highly competitive, applicants with master’s degrees in a related field have a huge advantage. Having a professional degree (in medicine, for example) can also give your application an edge.

The length of the doctoral program depends on the student’s educational history. Students typically take 1-3 years of epidemiology coursework covering subjects like:

The final 2-3 years of the epidemiology doctoral program are dedicated to research and dissertation. Doctoral candidates must contribute an original study to the field of epidemiology. PhD students also participate in scholarly activities like journal clubs and epidemiology conferences.

Epidemiologists can advance their careers with continuing education opportunities offered by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.

The Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. (CBIC) provides voluntary certification for epidemiologists who work within the infection control industry.